Speedy check-in debuts at LaGuardia Airport

At the Delta Terminal of LaGuardia Airport, travelers recently packed into the usual dense lines to get through security. But one lane to the side remained empty, with occasional travelers breezing through without taking off their jackets.

LaGuardia is the 12th airport in the country to feature the Transportation Security Administration's new pre-check program, an expedited check-in that removes the inconvenience of taking off shoes, light jackets and belts, and taking laptops and other electronics out of bags. Kennedy Airport also recently made it available to travelers.

"It's fantastic, best thing in a while. It saves me a lot of time," said Brian Darrieu, 38, from Atlanta, who travels weekly for his IT company sales job. "Shoes on, jacket on, laptop in the bag."

The program is mostly tailored to frequent fliers. But anyone who isn't on a watch list can qualify, either through Delta and American Airlines' frequent flier programs or by registering personal information with the Department of Customs and Border Protection's website.

If a traveler is eligible and passes a CBP background check, a number will be printed in bar code on their boarding pass.

Participants will be able to enjoy quicker security check-ins in 35 airports by the end of 2012.

Gale Rossides, deputy administrator of the TSA, said building lists of trusted passengers will allow TSA to focus its attention on customers it knows less about.

Also, she said, pre-check will not make airlines any less secure because of the many redundant safeguards TSA employs at check-in. All passengers and their luggage and electronics will still be subject to X-ray.

"Risk-based security does not mean less security, it means focused security," Rossides said.

The TSA has checked more than 640,000 passengers using the method so far and hopes to expand it.

Participating travelers at LaGuardia said they were very pleased with the change, noting that it shaved about 15 minutes from their travel time and eliminated a lot of hassle.

"Special treatment is always better," laughed Pranita Suparna of Manhattan, who passed through the new lane without taking off her coat and jewelry. "It was great, I liked it."